I'm Addicted to the Madness

Pinkie Pie arrived in Ponyville, and a huge smile spread across her little filly face. There were so many ponies, she didn't even know where to start! She shook her fluffy little tail and began bouncing merrily down the street.

"Hello!" she said to a mare at a flower stand, who looked surprised, but gave a weak smile and waved at the young pony. "Hi!" Pinkie squeaked as she passed a group that was sitting at a table. They too were taken aback by the pink filly's lack of social fear. "How's it going?" A stallion blinked at the greeting, but grinned anyway, Pinkie Pie's smile seeming to be contagious.

She bounced endlessly for about an hour, scoping the streets and making sure she said hi to everypony she saw. Like dominos falling over one after the other, smiles followed Pinkie Pie's progress through the town. However, she froze when she saw a picture of a cupcake hanging on a sign above her. Pinkie backed up slowly, her eyes sparkling with delight upon discovering what looked like a giant gingerbread house. Squealing, she bounced into the shop.

"Hello!" She exclaimed at the stallion behind the counter.

"Hi there!" He greeted kindly.

Pinkie Pie stared around, seeing cakes and pastries in a glass display, "Is this a bakery?" She asked, nearly exploding with excitement.

"Yes." The stallion replied, "Have you never been here before?"

"I just came to Ponyville today!" Pinkie explained with a single hop, "And I looooove sweets and parties and friends and parties and everything!!"

The stallion was amused at how eccentric this filly was. He held out a hoof to shake Pinkie's, "Well then, my name is Carrot Cake, and I run this place with my wife, Cup Cake." Then he called to the back, "Honey, come out here and meet our new little friend!"

Mrs. Cake came out from the kitchen, spotting the pink filly, "Oh my! Aren't you a little cutie!" She cooed.

"She's new to Ponyville." Mr. Cake explained, then turned to Pinkie Pie, "What's your name, sweetie?"

"My name is Pinkamena Dianne Pie, but you can call me Pinkie Pie!" Pinkie Pie answered with a smile, "Everypony does!"

"Do you have family here, Pinkie Pie?" Mrs. Cake asked.

Pinkie shook her head, "Nope! I'm all on my own!" Then she explained her story, "I came from a rock farm and lived with my parents and three sisters and there was no smiling just work, work, work! And then I saw a huge rainbow EXPLOSION and I smiled and threw a big party for my family on got my Cutie Mark!!" She took a deep breath, and then showed her flank, where an image of three balloons posed as her Cutie Mark.

"Well, isn't that something." Mr. Cake let out a small laugh.

"So, you have nowhere to stay?" Mrs. Cake asked in concern, but there was a sudden beeping noise coming from the kitchen, smoke wafting through the door. "Oh no! My cupcakes!"

The two Cakes dashed into the kitchen to try and salvage her pastries. Just as they left, a couple of Pegasi walked in, observing the cakes that sat in the glass display. The female Pegasus was pure white with sky blue mane and tail, and her Cutie Mark was a little blue bird accompanied by two music notes. The stallion was slate grey with black mane and tail, his cutie mark being a metal Pegasus wing.

"Ooh, I like that one, Silver!" The white mare smiled, and her cohort nodded, looking around.

"But it looks like nopony is here..." He frowned.

Pinkie Pie gasped, not wanting the customers to be unsatisfied with the service, so she dashed behind the counter, trying her best to peer over it despite her height.

"How may I help you?" Pinkie chirped, and the Pegasi exchanged unsure looks.

"You work here?" The mare asked, her brow furrowed.

"We're not here to work, we're here to play!" Pinkie smiled, "Bringing smiles upon smiles to brighten up your day!"

The two Ponies grinned, instantly overcome with happiness.

"Alright, I would like that strawberry tart right there," The mare smiled, pointing at the pastry in the display.

"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie Pie squeaked, and she spun around to look through cabinets and drawers.

She found a box, quickly, but gently, placed the tart inside, and set the box in front of the couple. However, before they could take it, she cried, "Wait!"

Digging into her saddle pack, she dug out a bright pink ribbon with her mouth, and in a flash, wrapped it around the box to make it look like a present.

"There! That'll be..." Pinkie Pie checked the tag where the tart had been before saying, "Three bits!"

As they were paying, Mrs. Cake rushed out, terrified at seeing the filly helping her customers.

"Pinkie Pie!" she exclaimed, but Pinkie opened the register to put the money inside. The stallion, who was holding the box, smiled wide at Mrs. Cake.

"I have never been so charmed by a sales clerk in my life!" He smiled excitedly to her.

"She's such a gem!" Agreed the mare, "We are definitely coming back here again! What is your name, little filly?"

"Pinkie Pie!" Pinkie replied happily.

"Well, Pinkie Pie..." The stallion started, "You're fantastic, and we look forward to seeing you again!"

Pinkie giggled, waving goodbye as the left the shop. She looked up at Mrs. Cake with a shocked frown and gasped.

"I didn't ask them their names!!" She squealed, but before Mrs. Cake could reply, Pinkie sprinted out of the bakery, catching the two Pegasi right before they were about to fly away, "WAIT!! What are your names?"

They smiled at each other. "I'm Silver Wing." Replied the grey stallion kindly, "And this is my marefriend, Songbird."

Songbird gave Pinkie another smile.

"I'll remember your names! And I'll say, 'Hello, Silver Wing! Hello, Songbird!' when I see you again!" Pinkie smiled.

Sharing more laughter with the filly, they bade farewell one more time before taking flight. When Pinkie re-entered the bakery, Mr. Cake was back. It looked as though his wife had just told him everything that happened mere moments ago.

"Pinkie Pie..." He spoke firmly, "You shouldn't have taken over without permission." Pinkie's smile fell, looking confused, "However, we're both extremely impressed with how you handled it."

"We'd be very grateful if you worked here for us," Added Mrs. Cake, "We don't have any more ponies on hoof, and sometimes it gets very busy."

"We can't pay you much, but since you have nowhere to go, how would you like to take residence on the second floor here?" Asked Mr. Cake.

Pinkie Pie's smile returned, and she hopped up and down excitedly, "Oh, I'd love to! I'd love to!" She squealed, "I'm super good at baking! And I can learn all the names of everypony in Ponyville! Oh this is going to be so much fun!!"

The Cakes smiled at each other, and then at the eccentric filly. From then on, Pinkie Pie worked at Sugarcube Corner in exchange for living quarters, and a few bits every month. She would've been just as happy even if she didn't get paid, but she kept a piggy bank to save up for her very first party.

In fact, after Pinkie Pie started working there, business at the bakery increased ten fold. Pinkie was kind, happy, and was able to serve customers very quickly. There was one instance where there was an entire line, and she got through them in about ten minutes. As the number of customers grew, the Cakes were making enough money to remodel the inside of the bakery to make it look as sweet as Pinkie Pie herself.

Pinkie Pie threw many parties, learning everypony's name and making sure she never forgot who was who. Everypony in town knew her, and loved her to death. However, because of her desire to know everything about Ponyville, she hadn't gotten the chance to make her extra special cupcakes. Yes, she'd bake quite often, but she was unable to get her "special" ingredient yet. It made her unhappy when she thought about it, but tried to tell herself that she'd be back on track in no time.

Pinkie Pie opened her eyes, squinting in the bright sunlight shining through her window. Groggy, she glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost noon.

"Oh, horse apples!" She cried hoarsely.

She had slept late again. It had been like this for a few months now, and it kept getting worse, sleeping later and later as time went by. Pinkie Pie slumped out of bed and trudged to her mirror, staring at her exhausted face, her baggy eyes, and her mess of a curly mane. Sighing, Pinkie slipped out of her pajamas and started trying to get herself ready for the day.

It had been a few years since she came to Ponyville, and she had grown into her teenage years. Pinkie Pie had become the town's favorite party pony, and she had made tons of friends. However, she never found the opportunity to make her special cupcakes. She had ran into a few snags she hadn't counted on; how to get supplies, and where to do the harvesting.

Because of the lack of the right kind of cupcake, Pinkie was suffering from depression, fatigue, and withdrawal. She had lived off those cupcakes for so long, going without them was taking a surprisingly heavy toll, almost as if it was a drug she had gone too long without. Nevertheless, Pinkie Pie got up every morning, put on a smile, and went about her day, trying not to dwell on her problem.

However, as the years went by, it started to get harder and harder to be the party pony she was destined to be. It was stressful to keep her energy up, smiling wide for everypony, and it wore her out so much, she slept in every morning. No pony noticed though. No pony knew what was really going on with Pinkie Pie.

As she tried to fix her mane, she watched her own eyes in the mirror. They were starting to look dark and listless. In fact, she almost thought her entire body had become a bit dull. She slowly set her brush down, not tearing her gaze from her own reflection.

"Come on, Pinkie." She croaked to herself, "You can do it! What would Maud, Limestone and Marble say if they saw you like this?" Her expression became even more melancholy, "But I'm missing out on one of the fun-est aspects of my life. I came here for a reason, and it feels like I haven't even tried." Pinkie's shoulders drooped slightly, "Maybe you're not as fun as you thought you were. Maybe your Cutie Mark is wrong. You shouldn't have left your sisters." Her lip trembled, "But... I want to bring smiles to everypony's face, and they're not true smiles unless I can share my very best cupcakes with them..." Tears welled up in her eyes, and she growled, "You're nothing..."

Just then, her poofy mane deflated like a balloon, becoming straight and limp as her dreams were crushed. Her lips trembled as she stared into her dull eyes, realizing for the first time in her life that she truly was nothing. She was worthless, a waste of space, and she didn't deserve to smile. And if she didn't deserve it, she wasn't going to try.

Pinkamena turned around and violently bucked her back hooves against the mirror, smashing it to pieces. When the shards hit the floor, Pinkamena began stomping on them, breaking them even further. She somehow managed to give herself tiny cuts around her wrists and ankles, but she didn't care. Wearing a cold expression, Pinkamena left her room, slowly making her way downstairs.

"Look who's finally awake!" joked Mrs. Cake as Pinkamena entered the bakery, "Hmm, did you style your mane differently?" Pinkamena paused, not looking at the mare. She gave no answer, "Pinkie Pie?"

Remaining silent, Pinkamena trudged out of the bakery, keeping her head down. She had been so stupid to never notice it before. Everypony's kindness toward her was all fake, simply smiling at her because they felt pity for the party pony. Well, she didn't need their charity. She could make her own smiles... Real smiles.

Ignoring ponies around her as they tried to say hello, Pinkamena walked to the outskirts of Ponyville, coming to the lake she liked to swim in. She didn't feel much like swimming today, so she simply sat at the water's edge, watching the fish swimming in the clear water.

"I don't need their friendship..." She hissed acidly, "They don't need my parties, so I don't need their friendship. I bet no pony would even notice I was gone if I moved away from Ponyville. They'd just throw their own damn parties. They don't need me." Pinkamena shoved a small rock into the water, narrowing her eyes at the ground, "Their laughter wasn't even because I made them happy! They were making fun of me!" A fish swam up to her, looking at her curiously, "STOP MAKING FUN OF ME!!!" she shrieked at it, and the fish darted away, terrified.

Pinkamena's eye twitched, and she suddenly smiled wide. However, this smile wasn't her usual smile; it was sadistic. She stood up, still grinning that horrible grin, and started trotting around the lake, heading further away from the town.

"Cause I want to make you smile, smile, smile, yes I do..." She sang under her breath, giving another little twitch, "It fills my heart while you scream all the while, yes it does... Cause I really need you to smile, smile, smile... For it'll be... Your... Last time..." And then she laughed, heading toward the Everfree Forest.

When Pinkamena became surrounded by the darkness of the trees all around her, she felt a little creeped out. In an instant, however, she pushed those feelings aside, knowing that there was nothing to fear, not just in the forest, but in the entire world. She hated everything, she hated everypony, and she hated herself.

A snake suddenly dropped in front of her from a tree branch, hissing and exposing long fangs. Pinkamena grabbed it by the neck with her teeth, threw it on the ground, and began stomping it into a bloody pulp. Cackling softly, she continued her exploration.

"They always warned me never to go in the Everfree Forest." She sneered, bringing her hoof down upon every snail she saw, "What the hay is so special here anyway? Hiding something, probably..." A rabbit hopped out of a bush to greet her, but she suddenly tore it to shreds with her own teeth. Her face was now just as bloody as her front hooves were from killing the snake, "Laughing... Laugh, laugh, laugh... Smile, smile, smile..." She said that last 'smile' through gritted teeth. "They'll keep laughing... Oh yes they will... I'll give them a fucking laugh..."

Pinkamena paused, spotting something through the trees. She approached it slowly, and discovered that it was an old fortress, nearly in ruins. She was curious to see what was inside, but decided to ignore it, passing it by as she walked on. The trees started to thin out, which surprised her a bit, and she quickened her pace.

At the last moment, Pinkamena saw the edge of the cliff and skidded to a halt. She carefully approached the edge, looking out to see another vast sea of trees.

"Is that still part of the forest?" She asked herself. Wind started to blow, causing her long, flat mane to flutter around her bloody face. "That's a long way down..." Pinkamena stepped as close as she could, peering straight down, discovering very sharp rocks on the way to the valley. Another menacing grin stretched across her face. "No pony will miss me. No pony will care. Pinkie's just a waste of space, so... Do I dare?"

The entire world seemed to slow down, and it was so quiet around Pinkamena, it was almost as if the volume had been muted. Her mane and tail whipped around her gracefully as she looked out to the horizon. The sun was setting. Such a beautiful sight...

Her hoof slid forward gently, just barely hovering over the edge of the cliff. A few pieces of earth broke off and rolled downward to join their rock family.

"Just a jump to fall way down." Pinkamena sang softly, edging just a bit more forward. "And free me of this awful frown." She began to laugh again, tensing her legs, preparing to jump...

"Pinkamena... you're making cupcakes..." Echoed Maud Pie's voice.

"And... and you're going to use this pony in them!" Spoke the voice of Limestone Pie.

"This is genius, Pinkie!" Marble cried. "This is what made your cupcakes so good? It's the best idea ever!"

"Finally we all have something to do together!" exclaimed Maud Pie.

Pinkamena backed up slowly, the memory of her sisters dancing around her head. They all made cupcakes together, they played games, came up with ideas and plans together... It made living on the rock farm just a little more bearable.

"They'd notice I was gone..." She muttered to herself. "They'd miss me. They care about me. The laughs and smiles we shared... Those were real. They'd... probably never smile again if I was gone..." A single tear slid down her face, taking just a bit of blood with it as it fell to the ground. Pinkamena stood up and little straighter, and then turned to go back into the forest.

As the run down fortress came back into view, curiosity got the better of her, and she decided to check it out. Once inside, Pinkamena was met with the stench of dust and mildew, making her scrunch her nose in disgust. Nevertheless, she trotted further into the enormous structure.

Upon entering a hallway lined with suits of armor, Pinkamena's tail began to twitch violently. Just as it did, her front hoof pressed on a hidden button on the floor, and she ducked as a blade shot out of the wall.

"Traps?" She inquired, "Hmm... Good thing my Pinkie sense still works..."

Pinkamena carefully continued her journey, dodging multiple booby traps as she ventured further and further. Then, after descending a flight of stone stairs, she discovered a dungeon. Her eyes widened, heart racing, and her mane poofed up, right back to its usual curly style.

"Eureka!" She squeaked, and bounded into the vast dungeon, excitedly inspecting the numerous torture devices, tools, and weapons.

There was a table with shackles on it to hold down the victim, many medieval torture devices, rusty blades and saws, ropes, chains, nails, hammers, axes, and much more. This was everything she needed to make cupcakes! But...

"I can't drag ponies all the way through the forest," Pinkie Pie said to herself, "But maybe... maybe if I manage to find a place to bring them in Ponyville, then I can move all of this stuff there instead! But where, oh where, would I be able to harvest without anypony knowing...?" Glancing at the many tools and other building resources, Pinkie thought that maybe she could build her own dungeon in Ponyville. But there was still the question of where in Ponyville.

Pinkie Pie let out a loud gasp, and then squealed in excitement, running as fast as she could out of the building and back into the forest. On the way back to town, she dove into the lake, washing the blood out of her fur, and continued to run home.

When Pinkie entered the bakery, the Cakes looked around at her, surprise and concern on their faces. Then they looked confused when they saw that Pinkie was soaking wet.

"Pinkie Pie..." Mrs. Cake spoke up, "Are you alright?"

"Super!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, "I didn't feel so good earlier, so I went to the lake to swim! But I feel much better now! I'm going up to my room now!" Without waiting for a rebuttal, Pinkie Pie galloped upstairs, bursting into her room.

Ignoring the mess from the shattered mirror for now, Pinkie Pie took out some sheets of paper and many crayons, humming to herself as she quickly started to draw. She was designing her dungeon, the perfect torture room.

And it'd be right under Sugarcube Corner.

For the weeks following, Pinkie Pie was still sleeping in late every day, but it wasn't because of depression. It was because she worked late at night when everypony was asleep, building a basement under the bakery. The most difficult part was hallowing out the earth while trying not to damage the building itself. She managed it, though, and she was overwhelmed with pride.

The entrance to her new room was located toward the back of Sugarcube Corner behind some bushes. Pinkie Pie had dug a hole there when she started her dungeon, tunneling her way deep below the ground. This would be nearly impossible if it were anypony else, but Pinkie seemed to have a special talent for doing random things that others couldn't.

Then, using her outrageous abilities, she discreetly transferred most of the tools and torture devices from the old fortress to her own dungeon. The table was a bit difficult to get in, considering the hole was significantly smaller than it, but anything is possible with Pinkie Pie!

When the basement was finally finished, including soundproofing the walls and entrance to the tunnel, she sat on the cold floor, gazing at her masterpiece. How could she ever thought of giving up? She was the ultimate party pony, and she did bring laughter and smiles everywhere she went! Now her life, as well as the lives of everypony in Ponyville, would consist of even more fun and happiness, for she'd finally be able to make her best cupcakes.

The last step Pinkie Pie had to take was assigning everypony in the town a number so that she'd know who she was going to play with next. Just like when she lived at the rock farm with her sisters, she wrote everypony's name on a scrap of paper and put them in a jar. This way, she could shake the jar and draw a number at random.

Kidnapping her playmates was no problem, as Pinkie had had enough experience when baking with her sisters. She spaced her play dates out significantly, afraid that she'd blow through her special ingredient too fast, as well as draw attention to mass disappearances. A few missing ponies here and there would give the citizens an uncomfortable chill, as opposed to the chaos and fear caused by large groups seeming to evaporate into thin air.

"Man, Pinkie Pie..." Pinkie's closest friend, Applejack, smiled, "Your cupcakes taste even better than they did before! Whatdja put in 'em?"

"Extra smiles!" Pinkie sang in reply.

Applejack laughed, not questioning the recipe further.

"Hey, you wanna come foalsit my baby sister?" she asked when she finished her cupcake. Pinkie Pie herself had had about five.

"Okay!" Pinkie smiled, then asked, "What's her name again?"

"Apple Bloom," Applejack answered, "She sure is gettin' big, and sometimes I just can't get her off my tail when doin the chores. I could use an extra set of hooves, seein' as how Big Mac's working too, and Granny Smith's gone to see family."

"Sounds like fun!" Pinkie giggled, hopping around briefly, "I'll keep such a good eye on her, you won't even have to lift a hoof!"

"I can always count on you, Pinkie." Applejack smiled, "You're a true, true friend."

"Don't you forget it!"

With that, the two of them walked to Sweet Apple Acres, where Applejack lived. Little did Pinkie Pie know, she was about to meet the little filly that would later become her own baking apprentice.